


Kräijnstkräiije

by scribbled_handwrite



Category: Ripper Street
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Modern Era, Multi, Nerdiness, cyber crime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribbled_handwrite/pseuds/scribbled_handwrite
Summary: A cybercrime of bombastic proportions should be committed very soon. Will Edmund Reid and his men be able to prevent it?Modern AU taking place today, nearly all (main) characters included.2019-04-14 / Chapter 1 Summary: Susan is sitting in the mall and has fun with her mobile.2019-04-18 / Chapter 2 Summary: Drake ‘invites’ Susan to a nice little chat at Leman Street where she will be interviewed by Inspector Edmund Reid.2019-05-13 / Chapter 3 Summary: Reid demonstrates Drake his abilities in the usage of modern technology and both discuss the next steps in the case.2019-07-01 / Chapter 4 Summary: Reid undertakes another try to convince Susan to be at the side of the police to bring her father down.2019-08-23 / Chapter 5 Summary: Domestic problems at Sergeant Drake.





	1. Intro

Where else in the world could you waste your time better than in a mall?

Susan sat in a corner of Starbucks and watched the people who are passing by. She took a sip of her double cappuccino, enjoyed the sweet taste of sugar inside the liquid and the milk foam decorated with chocolate on top. 

A few years ago, she would never have drunk something like that. A few years ago, nearly everything needed to be free of sugar and free of fat, or if it was not otherwise possible – low carb and low fat. But things have changed, at least, a few things.

Susan put down the cup. Her gaze fell on her mobile next to the saucer. She smiled.

‘Time to have some fun’, she thought and pushed the Home button. The dark display lighted up.  

Susan tapped on her favourite app. The program with the awful pink design opened. Then, another tap and some quick targeted moves over the surface of the device.  A moment later, she had left the regular operating system of the mobile and had entered her own workaround environment.

One would think that people like her were only satisfied with using a console to make entries instead of a graphical user interface. But why should she life with such inconvenience when she was able to rule over bits and bytes, ones and zeros as she liked? Today, a swipe over a surface was much easier than laborious clacking on a keyboard. Times had changes, also in this business.   

Ordinary people wouldn’t have seen the difference.  At first sight, the surface looked colourful and familiar like any other common user interface on a mobile, but the apps on there were pure danger.    

Weather you having sex or using the Internet, the foremost rule is self-protection! 

This applies especially for excessive consumers; and so, Susan started to build up a not traceable Internet connection fist. A list showed her all available WiFi connections of the mall. She selected a few encrypted connections with a good data transmission rate and let the latest Russan decryption tool ran over it. It just needed seconds until the keys were cracked. 

Next step, Tor Browser and onion gateways - all nested of course – et voilà! The way was free.     

“Let’s see who is online”, murmured Susan to herself.

She opened another app which showed the floor plan of the mall with lots of blue dots, some moved, others stood still. The pulsing black dot marked her position.  She zoomed in the map and then, she tapped on a symbol. Immediately, a bubble filled with data popped up at each blue dot.

Susan took a sip of her cup and read the user names.

Honeybee, Daisy92, Machine, sweet_Lui, Mark, hazelnut, 666, BigGuns, …

The usual stuff – boring! 

Susan rolled her eyed.

Paul, Aida, Carol56, hellrazor, snuffy, GreekGod02, MrBigFucker, carl, kittycat, holly_polly …

‘Let’s make it more interesting’, she thought and looked up. ‘Maybe, I can guess who is who.’

She focused an Asian teenage girl with ‘Hello Kitty’ bag. “You are sweet_Lui”, she said to herself and tapped on the bubbled dot. An icon set opened. Susan chose the tiny coloured pic with the camera and found her guess proved as sweet_Lui’s Instagram account appeared and presented lots of selfies, friend’s pictures and nonsense stuff of the young girl. Sweet. Susan smiled again.

That was easy and not very satisfying.  More promising seemed to be this guy in the suit who leant against the shop window of the H&M store. He was checking up the girls of his surrounding whilst he was obviously waiting for someone.

“You are MrBigFucker”, assumed Susan with raised eyebrow, “and I am sure you have a Tinder profile.“

Again, she tapped on the bubbled dot and the icon set appeared, but this time, Susan selected access to the dating app.

“Yeah!” She said to herself and started to check out the nature of the account. It was exactly what she had expected from somebody who calls himself ‘MrBigFucker’. Susan made a face and shook her head in disgust.

In this moment, a young brunette appeared. With a heap of shopping bags in her hands, she embraced the guy in the in the suit and kissed him. MrBigFucker patted her on her butt. An unmissable ring on her finger told Susan, that she was not just his girlfriend and a look in her dot’s data revealed the nick name ‘hazelnut’.

Susan had a quick gaze at hazelnut’s WhatsApp account to bear out her assumptions of fluffy conversations about love stuff and their upcoming nuptial and annoying happy couple pictures with MrBigFucker.

“What a punk!”, whispered Susan. “Hmmm … I bet hazelnut has no clue about MrBigFucker’s off relationship activities.” She made some moves and trappings on her mobile, grinned and said “but she should.”

Within a wink of an eye, the progress bar on Susan’s mobile had reached 100percent and a mobile in front of the H&M store got a message. hazelnut handed over her shopping bags to MrBigFucker to drag out her mobile of her coat pocket. As she read the message, her face froze. With tears in her eyes she glanced at MrBigFucker, raised the hand to the blow and punched him with all her power in his face. Then, she ran away.

“One should think that she’s familiar with his cock, but maybe, it’s a bit surprising that others are familiar with it too. That’s shocking, indeed.” Susan chuckled. “Better you learn it now than later.”

She took the last sip of her cup, made a few taps on her mobile to return to its usual operating mode and got up. 

A good deed every day!

***** To be continued ... *****


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drake ‘invites’ Susan to a nice little chat at Leman Street where she will be interviewed by Inspector Edmund Reid.

It was time. Susan paid, collected her things and got up. She left Starbucks and rushed to the exit, the elevator, the garage. As she lifted up her head to identify the vehicle which reacted to the remote control of her car, she realised a man next to a red VW Golf, her VW Golf, and he was obviously waiting for her.  

‘Fuck!’ she thought, but gave her face a friendly expression and said: “Sergeant Drake, did they degrade you to catch criminals in the parking garage like rats in the sewer?”

“Rats on high heels”, murmured Drake. “You come with me, Madam.”   

“Is it a friendly ask or an order?”

Drake rolled his eyes and packed Susan on her shoulders.

“Hands off”, she hissed with flashing eyes.

Drake lifted his hands and stepped backward. “Inspector Reid has some questions to you.”        

“Oh, it can’t be urgent when he sent his errand boy instead of coming himself. Well, then it can wait until tomorrow. You will excuse me.”  

Susan opened the door of her car and intended to get in, but Drake slammed it again immediately.

“Now, woman! Or do I need to remind you that you're still on parole.“  He pointed to a dark car a few steps abroad to made her clear that he didn’t want to waste more time here. 

“Then, I suppose, you will drive”, said Susan defiantly, turned around and tottered towards the police car, Drake rumbling behind. 

+++

In the interrogation room of the East End Police station in Leman Street, Inspector Edmund Reid gawked like a stupid goof on the screen of Susan's mobile and tapped on it without a clue of what he did there. Opened one app after another, pursed his lips and nodded to pretend knowledge.

Finally, he executed the program with pink icon. The user interface appeared and showed a calendar table and a menu with symbols like a drop, a heart, a gear wheel and so on. His intuition told him that he had found something, but he didn’t know what. He raised his eyebrows, turned the mobile to Susan that she could see the screen. Then, he glanced at her with widened eyes expecting an explanation for his discovery.

Susan did him the favour and said with a broad grin and warm voice: “This is my ovulation calendar and as you can clearly see, Mr Reid, there is no danger at this time." 

She gave him seductive look with the last words which made Reid blush. He laid the mobile on the table and was undeniably happy to get rid of it. "Please", he said and gestured towards Susan to take the device, "turn it off."

Susan followed his demand.

“So, if you’re not interested in my fruitful days what else is it?” she asked.

Reid walked up and down, stopped and said: “What do you know about the current business activities of your father, Mr Theodore Swift?”

“Nothing!” was the brief answer.

The inspector leaned on the table, looked urgently at the woman in front of him. Then, he pointed his index finger at her. “I don’t believe you, Madam!”

Susan remained unimpressed. “That’s your problem!”

“We know that he’s preparing a cyber-attack against the Bank of England.”

“So? … Who figured that out?”

Reid straightened himself up. “We have specialists”, he answered.

“Aha!” said Susan and chuckled. “I guess you mean your American, your personal little minion …”

“… your husband.”

“Ex-husband!” corrected Susan immediately.  “You don't seriously believe that I will stay connected with a man who squeals me to the police because he wants to impress his new best buddy, and whose new best buddy has caused me a long stay in prison? ...  Which brings us to the point.“  This time it was her who looked urgently at Reid. “You know full well that I'm breaking my parole when I even look at a computer, not to mention the Internet. Two things which are essentially necessary to live out my talents which are the only thing Mr Swift would be interested in. With broken wings I have no use to him.”

That sounded plausible, Reid had to admit. He exchanged a look with Drake, who was standing at the door, quietly following the interrogation.

“If you’re not allowed to touch any technology, why do you have a mobile?” asked the Sergeant from the background. “Isn't that already a violation of the terms?"

 “Indeed, it is,” admitted Susan. “But for my probation officer the old-fashioned communication by telephone and analogue letter was too cumbersome. He would also have to move around to monitor me around the clock. That's why he obtained an exception in court. So I am allowed to have a mobile phone, which is of course monitored.”

That basically said it all. The police had no reason to detain her any longer. She knew that.

Nevertheless, as Edmund Reid was sure, Susan was one of the most important figures on the chessboard in the game that had just begun.

If she will not play for her father, why she shouldn't play for his team, the good team, the police team?  With Susan at their side they would have another crack hacker and double their chances against Theodore Patrick Swift.

Reid liked the idea more and more that she would work against her father again, this time maybe with the result to bring him down for now and forever.

“What if I give you back your wings?”

Susan’s eyes widened. “You want me to work for you?”

Reid nodded. “Exactly!”  

“And I guess you want to offer me a new deal?“

"Of course," replied the Inspector with an inviting smile. Susan did not respond, quite the opposite. Her eyes started flashing dangerously, like a predator, which is about to attack its prey. But she did not give in to her feelings but just calmly and emphatically said:  “What kind of fool do you think I am, Mr Reid, to trust you again?” Then she shook her head. “Nope! Never again!

“Please!” tried Reid again with big puppy eyes which so often worked on the opposite sex.  But not for this specimen. This woman was immune.

Susan took her mobile, put it in her bag and stood up. “For the protocol,” she said, “I had no contact to Mr Swift ever since I've been here in London. I have no contact to Mr Swift and I will not have contact to Mr Swift in future. I am neither involved nor interested in participating in any cyber activities of any kind. I just want to be left alone. That is all. Can I go now?"

Reid said nothing, but nodded barely noticeably and made a waving away gesture with his hand.

“Fine,” said Susan and looked provocatively at Drake. "Since my car is still in the mall, I suppose I can assume that one of the two gentlemen here or some other of the troops will drive me home?"

Sergeant Drake fretfully rolled his eyes. Then he turned around to the door. “I call for PC Hobbs” he said before he left the room. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid demonstrates Drake his abilities in the usage of modern technology and both discuss the next steps in the case.

Half an hour later Drake found his colleague Reid giggling in the tea kitchen in front of the tea cooker. In one hand he held a paper cup with light brown Bambi tea - 2 x milk and 2 x sugar - in the other hand his mobile phone; his thumb cumbersomely moved over the display. When he took a sip, he noticed his Sergeant and indicated him to come closer.  

“Look!” said Reid with bright grin and turned around his smart phone. “I’ve already got five Likes.”

Drake looked at the little monitor. It showed an aged picture in faded colours of a little girl with freckles who sat in front of a big fruit cake, eating a piece of this cake. The child's mouth and dress were completely smeared with jam but the child didn't care, she cheered with joy.  Funny, colourful stickers of different fruits were place around the picture and a writing let the audience know: 'Tilda girl loves cherry cake!'

Drake frowned. “Is that Mathilda?” he asked.

Reid nodded and made a goof face.

“It was on our holiday trip to Brighton. She was four years old then and such a sweetie”, remembered Reid and added expertly: “I used the camera of my mobile to take a picture of the framed picture next to my bed. Then I loaded it up into my Facebook account and now I have …” - he quickly gazed on the screen, yelled - “Whohoo! Eight Likes!”

Sergent Drake shook his head and Reid patted him on the shoulder.  “We have to move with the times, speak the voice of youth and this includes the use of modern equipment and the presence in social media.”

“For me it's enough if I can make phone calls on the way”, said Drake, “... and honestly, I don't think your daughter likes it if you put child pictures of her on the Internet.”

Reid waved off.  "No way!" he said. "She is proud to have such a modern father. She even installed this 'What's App' thing for me to be in constant contact with me."

And indeed, a beep sounded at that moment. Reid raised his pointer before tapping his phone's display to read the 'What's App' message in full.

The little icon with Mathilda's face in the head of the app told Reid that the note was from his daughter. It said:

_Immediately delete this horribly embarrassing photo and set your Facebook account to private or better, completely delete it!_

A second later, she added:

_Best you use the phone just to make calls. This is safest for you._

Drake started to laugh. “Voice of the youth, eh?”

Edmund Reid ignored him. With one finger he slowly tapped on the display keyboard to answer his daughter and framed his message at the end with a bunch of smiley and heart emojis.

_But that's such a nice picture of you, baby._

Mathilda's answer was not long in coming. It appeared a moment later and consisted of only one emoji: The red smiley with evil-looking eyes and the black rage bar above the mouth.

Reid sighed. He reopened the Facebook app again, changed from his general timeline to his site dash, scrolled down until he had found the posted photo as last entry. Meanwhile, it had won ten Likes plus comments like ‘Awww, how sweet’, ‘Such a cutie’, ‘Yummy-Yum-Yum’ and so on. 

‘It’s a shame’, thought Reid when he unfolded the selection box with the post option and tapped on the ‘Delete’ option. A message appeared which the Inspector confirmed with another deep sigh. The picture of his daughter disappeared from the screen.

Next Reid switched back to 'What's App' and wrote Mathilda short ' _Done_ ', but couldn't resist to end his message with a kiss emoji.

+++

After he had put his cell phone in the jacket pocket, Inspector Edmund Reid turned to Sergeant Bennet Drake.

“Anything new from Cyber Captain Jackson?”

Bennet Drake, who still found Reid's fatherly attempt of coolness funny, stopped chuckling to concentrate himself on the changed topic.  “The cyber lab turns into a garbage dump and a real health danger”, he said, “just constantly growing heaps of pizza cartons, paper cups and beverage cans as well as ever-thickening smell of rotting food and cigarette smoke … nothing else.” He shook his head. “Something must happen soon otherwise, I fear, we will have an invasion of little crawling fur animals next.”

“I will talk to him.”

Drake waved off. “It won't do any good. He says his genius needs an atmosphere of chaos to unfold…"

“…and a same-mind brain to fertilise each other”, completed Reid Jackson’s favourite phase. “That’s why he refuses to work with the metropolitan police’s forensic department.” He sighed. “But I’m sure, he would work with her.”

Drake rolled his eyes. "Maybe," he murmured discontentedly, "but do we really need her? You know, she's just trouble and we already have to watch out for the data quack. Do you want to get another crook in there? Double the potential of criminal energy?”

“We will use it for us. We will control it. I go, talk to her again and try to convince her to be at our side.”

“I'm always amazed at how naive you can be”, said Drake with another shake of his head. “Then go. I can't convince you to the contrary anyway. … At least he will be forced to clean up the pigsty otherwise - I am sure - she will kick his arse. Anyway, I'm going to give him a little hint now in advance.”

***** To be continued ... *****


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid undertakes another try to convince Susan to be at the side of the police to bring her father down.

Edmund Reid had climbed the steps of the run-down stairwell and was now standing in front of an apartment on the fourth floor. He rang the bell. Shortly thereafter he heard sounds from inside, then footsteps. Quick footsteps from small feet. The door opens. Reid saw no one. He looked around on all sides and finally also down, into the eyes of a little blond boy. The Inspector was surprised. He checked the nameplate on the door again to make sure he hadn't made mistaken the flat. He had not been wrong. That fact, immediately led him to an inevitable and - considering the appearance of the boy - obvious conclusion which increased his surprise even more, but also caused an equally unpleasant feeling in his stomach. 

Reid went a little down on his knees and said smiling to the boy: “Hello, my name is Edmund. I would like to talk to your mummy.”

The boy didn’t answer and looked sceptically at the visitor, but without fear or shyness.  

“Is your mummy at home?”

“Connor who is it?” asked somebody from behind.

“A man”, answered the boy.

Again steps approached, this time that of an adult. The door was opened further and Reid stood opposite a woman. She was tall, with dark hair, bright eyes and a pretty face, but not the one he had expected.

“Yes?” she said.

Reid didn't know what to say for a moment, just stared at the unknown woman.

The child found this moment of amazement, in which nothing happened and the adults gazed at each other, boring. So he turned around, ran away and disappeared in the inside of the apartment. A moment later one could hear laughter.    

The women smiled.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

Reid fumbled around in his coat pocket, pulled out his ID and showed it with serious face.

“Metropolitan Police”, he just said.

The woman rolled her eyes. She stepped back, opened the door completely and gestured the Inspector to come in. At the same time she yelled in the direction of the open room next to the kitchen at the end of the corridor: “It’s for you!”

No reaction.

“I bring you to her. Follow me!” said the brunette.

“Thank you, Ms …”

“Raine … Raine Thornell.”

+++

After a few steps they had reached their goal. Raine leaned herself with crossed arms against the wall next to the open door which lead to the living room, nodding to the Inspector that he would find inside what he was looking for.

He did, but in another way than he had expected or thought of.

The cosy living room was a battlefield of scattered cushions and toys. A blanket hung over the sofa and a chair, another one over a huge houseplant and the sideboard and a third one - as a clever clothes pins construction - connected the curtains and the carpet. Those were three perfect cave hiding places.

In the midst of this chaos, Susan and Connor rolled around together on the floor. She had just caught the boy, held him in her arms and tickled him. The child squeaked with pleasure. He was happy, and so was Susan. Ever since he knew her, Reid had never seen Jackson's wife like that.

That also applied to her appearance. Susan wore a natural-coloured knitted turtleneck sweater, comfortable black leggings and warm, colourful striped socks. Her shoulder-length blonde hair didn't follow any concept. Her face was clear without any artificial colour, just naturally reddened cheeks. She looked like the nice uncomplicated girl next door you go to prom with because you can't get the prom queen or like the down-to-earth girl you end up marrying because you can't get the rich princess. Prom queen and princess – Susan’s usual roles, at least, that's what Reid always thought. 

The Inspector didn't feel comfortable being the spoilsport and interrupting the two playmates. But it was necessary. So he loudly cleared his throat to make himself noticeable.

Susan looked at the door. When she recognized Reid, the lightness turned and she transformed back into the heartless marble statue he knew, at least, as far as he was concerned. She maintained her cordiality towards her child. This unbelievable back and forth of pretence demanded respect from Reid.

She kissed the boy on his forehead and said: “You go on playing with Raine. I talk to the gentleman. It won't take long.”

“No!” protested the child. “You must play with us.”

Susan pushed gently but surely her son to the side and stood up.

“No!” said Connor again, this time emphatically with pursed lips.

“Five minutes.”

“No!”

But Susan ignored him this time. Connor was offended. He crossed his arms, turned around and pouted. But the drama didn’t take long. Raine attacked the boy with a cuddle toy and a second later, both fought of fun.

Susan was relieved. She closed the door to the living room and arranged her hair.

“Tea?”

Reid nodded.

“Before you ask and to clarify this matter immediately, Mr Reid, … Yes, Connor is my boy. … And no, there is no father.”

Of course, it was none of his business, but Reid was too curious about this, so he tried to hide the obvious question and remarked casually: “Everybody has a father.”

“One single night of uncontrolled weakness with a man who was just around there”, replied Susan with shrugged shoulders, but made clear: “They will never meet. It’s just him and me.”

+++

Later in the kitchen, Reid had made himself comfortable at the kitchen table whilst Susan prepared the tea.

When she poured the hot amber liquid into the cups she said: “I hope you've come to have a cup of tea with me, just like old times. Otherwise, I fear, a disappointment awaits you. My answer is and remains 'No!’”

Reid pulled a stack of paper out of his coat pocket and laid it in front of him on the table. He tapped on the top.

“Look at this and then decide. Maybe that will change your mind.”

From the past Susan knew that Reid was persistent and would not rest until he got what he wanted. So the quickest way to get rid of him was to give in to this simple wish. Why not? To look at a few pieces of paper did not mean to sell oneself to the police. It was probably rather a favour, because of the good old times, if they - like their friendship - had ever existed.

She took her glasses from the kitchen counter, sat next to Reid, pulled the pile of paper towards her, put the glasses on her nose and began to read.

+++

Reid watched her reading. No muscle of her face moved. No sign of emotions. Her eyes followed concentrated line by line on the papers of the printed log files he has gotten from Jackson, the gibberish of letters, numbers and signs an ordinary human being didn't understand. But she did. From time to time her eyes widened or squinted for a second. From time to time she turned pages back and forwards again. Reid knew that she understood what was going on there.

Inspector Reid had already finished his cup of tea when Susan finally laid the heap of papers down and put down the glasses from her nose.

“And? What do you think?” asked Reid.

Susan breathed out deeply. She took a pen, wrote something on a piece of paper and gave the note to Reid. After a quick look he said confused: "3621 Pound and 56 Pence? What does it mean?" 

“That’s my pay”, answered Susan, “or did you think my services were for free?

Furthermore, I want an official written permission by country law enforcement agency that I’m allowed to do all necessary things relating to this matter.”

“You have my word.”

Susan giggled. “That’s not enough. I don’t trust you, Mr Reid. You fooled me once. I will not do the same mistake a second time. Official and written, that’s my demand.”

Reid nodded in agreement. “Anything else?”

“Someone has to take my shifts at the restaurant so I don't lose my job there.”

“All right.” Reid got up. “Then I expect you tomorrow morning at Leman Street.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic problems at Sergeant Drake

This morning, Sergeant Bennet Drake was in no hurry to go to work. He never was, but especially not today.  Reid had called him last night to tell him about the success of his mission and Drake knew that meant trouble. Therefore, it was better to appear when the smoke of the first skirmish had cleared. Drake let the razor slide slowly and thoughtfully over his skin. It reliably cut the stubbles that had grown overnight and at the same time scraped off the soap layer. When he was finished, he put the knife aside and wiped the soap left over from his face. Then he looked down. The dark, warm eyes of his best friend starred up to him faithfully. Drake nodded to him. "This will be a day ... ", he said and started to get dressed.

The Golden Retriever observed the procedure and when Drake was finished, the dog followed his master in the kitchen.

The breakfast table was richly set with everything that Bennet Drake liked and that gave him the strength he needed for a hard day. Rose was also there, casually dressed as usual and constantly tapping and scrolling on her mobile.

“Morning”, said Drake. “Ah, this looks good.”

His wife looked up with a smile. “The tea has been in the pot for a while so it should be strong enough. But toast, beans and eggs, I fear, could be a bit cold now. Should I warm it up?” 

Drake took a bite. “That's not necessary. It’s excellent!” He started to eat while Rose turned her attention back to the small screen in her hand. From time to time she chuckled.

“Something interesting today?” asked Drake

“Just the usual stuff: Frightening news from the world, videos of cats and a picture of a guy in a self-knitted unicorn jumpsuit”, said Rose without emotions, “I’m sure he will become the topic of the day.”

“Really! Why?”

She went on scrolling without paying attention to the display. “He already has more than 2000 likes on his Insta account and over 700 shares, one of them by Kim Kardashian. She is interested to buy such a thing for North and now it spreads …”

Drake looked confused. Rose understood the gaze and explained. “North is the name of one of her children …”

“Ah …” said the Sergeant and took the thread of the topic, because ‘children’ was the keyword.

He bit again in his toast, took sip of tea and looked then over to the kitchen cabinet. The green folder that he has brought yesterday from the local orphanage was laying there obviously still untouched. 

"You haven't had time to have a look inside?" noticed Drake nodding towards the papers.

“Not yet”, she said, “but I’ve called Ms Goran.”

Her husband widened his eyes in expectation.

She shook her head. “Just toddlers three years and up in best case or an eighteen month old black girl … but no babies.”

“Sounds good to me. What's wrong with that? It needn’t to be a baby and I don’t care about age or race.” He stretched his arm over the table to reach her hand. He strokes it and said in a warm loving tone: “We have so much love to give.”

“Yes … Sure …”, muttered Rose and dragged her hand away. “But it’s more complicated with an older child than to start with a baby.” She paused a second and went on: “And what will the neighbours think when we suddenly have a black child … I mean, you’re an honourable police man.”

“That's bullshit!” said Drake angry. “I don't give a fuck on other people's opinion. What we do is nobody's business. ... If necessary we just move away. There is always a solution. All that counts is our family!”

"Our family", repeated Rose sarcastically. "What family? There is no family ... because I can't give you a family."

Drake sighed. “Rose, we’ll find a way. There are still some options left”, he said as calming as possible to end her self-pity mode. “There’s still the opportunity of in vitro fertilization, with semen or egg donation or both if necessary … Medicine is very advanced these days. We just need to let ourselves checked.” 

Rose burst into tears. “That’s too expensive”, she sobbed loudly.

Drake got up. He walked around the table and embraced her. “Don’t worry about the money”, he said comfortingly. Then he wiped away her tears and smiled. “We will make it. Until then, I propose to go on with our attempts to solve the problem on natural way.” He kissed her tenderly. “Who knows, maybe it’s working in the end.”


End file.
